Aliphatic and alicyclic nitriles



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. andgheated to reux.

gave 827 grams of methyl geranylcyanoacetate boiling from 132-142 C.

(B) To 2400 grams (10.24 moles) methyl geranylcyanoacetate was added with cooling and stirring, 4500 grams (11.26 moles) of sodium hydroxide in one hour at 20-25" C. After stirring for another hour at 20-25 C., the mixture was poured with stirring into a mixture of 2400 grams of water, 632 grams of sulfuric acid (96%) andl025 ml. of cumene. After stirring for ten minutes, the vupper layer was separated and washed with saturated salt solution (3 X300() grams) at 40-50 C. The organic layer was then added with stirring in about 4 hours to a reuxing mixture of 1025 ml. of cumene, 3.4 grams of sodium acetate and 6.8 grams of copper powder. After refluxing for an additional hour, the cumene was distilled off at mm. The residue was flash distilled and the distillate fractionated through a Vigreux column at 4 mm. Hg. There was obtained 1215 grams (78% of theory; HD2@ 1.4700; d4 0.8675; boiling point 100 at 4 mm. Hg) of geranyl actontrile. GLPC (gas-liquid partition chromatogram) showed two major peaks with 'geranylacetonitrile has the formula:

In a dry flask was placed five liters of benzene and 15 moles of powdered sodamide. TheV mixture was stirred A solution of 8.7 moles of the myrcene hydrochloride prepared as in Example l, and l5 moles of isobutyronitrile were added to the benzene and under vacuum and thedistillate washed with twice its Volume ofV 10% sulfuric acid, then with water until neu- The organic layer was fractionated under vacuum tral. to yield 1000 grams (4.85'moles) (56% of theory based on rnyrcene` hydrochloride) of geranyl isobutyronitrile which is a perfume material having a line peach note with floral perfume quality. The product,

had the following physical constants: boiling point 118 at 5 mm. Hg, nm, 1.4642, D2020 0.8552.

FIG. 8 shows by GLPC two peaks, representing the cis and trans isomers.

Example 3 As in Example 2, 4.0 liters of benzene and 10.5 moles Vof powdered sodamide were mixed in a ask and heated to reflux while stirring. A solution of 6.7 moles of the myrcene hydrochloride prepared as in Example l and 18 moles of proponitrile were added at a rate with stirring such that reflux was maintained without external heating.

The mixture was refluxed, water added, the benzene layer separated, washed and stripped. This was followed by Y distillation under vacuum, washing and fractionation of the organic layer, all as in Example 2. The product 'A had the following physical constants: boiling point 100 at l mm. Hg, HD2 1.4689, D2020 0.8629. The perfume l material had a floral, fruity, peach odor.

Example 4 As in Example 2, 0.5 liter of benzene and 1.5 moles of powdered sodamide were mixed in a ask and heated to redux with stirring. A solution of 1 mole geranyl bromide (trans-isomer) and 1.5 moles of isobutyronitrile was added at such a rate with stirring that rellux was maintained without external heating. The mixture was then refluxed, Water added, the benzene layer separated, washed, and solvent and unreacted nitrile stripped off as in Example 2. The residual oil was distilled under vacuum, and the distillate washed as in Example 2 with sulfuric acid and water. The product, geranyl isobutyronitrile (trans-isomer) is a perfume material and has a unique, fragrant, woody, peach odor. It showed only one major peak by GLPC, as will appear in FIG. 7, showing it to be a single isomer. The trans-isomer had the following physical constants: boiling point 114 C. at 3.7 mm. Hg; nDZU 1.4676, D202 0.8592.

The geranyl bromide (trans-isomer) used in this example was prepared by the following procedure:

To 472 grams of geraniol (98%) and 80 ml. of pyridine, cooled by a Dry-lce-alcohol bath, was added, with good stirring, over a period of two hours 115 grams of phosphorous tribrornide while maintaining the reaction temperature between -10 to 15 C. The mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and then was distilled rapidly at 3 mm. Hg to yield 550 grams of distillate.

The crude product was combined with 800 rnl. of petroleum ether and then washed with 600 ml. of a cold (5 C.) 3% sodium carbonate solution, followed by two water washes of 500 ml. each.

After drying over sodium sulfate, the petroleum ether was stripped olf to yield 518 grams of geranyl bromide (trans-isomer) As a check on the configuration of the bromide, it was converted back to geraniol via the acetate by reaction with potassium acetate in acetone at room temperature [(see Ruzicka and Firmenich, Helv., 22, 396 l939)], followed by saponication to the alcohol. The'alcohol was identified by GLPC by comparison of its retention time with a standard sample of geraniol.

Example 5 In a dry flask was placed 7.3 moles of acetonitrile and 1 mole of geranyl chloride. The mixture was heated to 50 C. with stirring. Heating was discontinued and l mole of powdered sodamide was added in small portions (with vigorous evolution of ammonia) over a period of 35 minutes at 50-60" C. with cooling and vigorous stirring. After stirring for another half hour at 60 C., the excess acetonitrile was distilled olf. The residue was washed twice with an equal volume of water, dried and distilled under vacuum. The distillate was washed with dilute sulfuric acid, then washed neutral with water, saturated bicarbonate solution and water. The washed oil was dried and fractionated under vacuum to yield a product which had a sweet, rosy, fruity odor.

There were no vinyl absorption peaks in the infrared spectrum of geranyl acetonitrile produced in this manner, and GLPC showed only two peaks in a 75:25 (trans-cis) ratio. The product had the following physical constants: boilingv point 84 C. at 0.4 mm. Hg; HD2@ 1.4707, D2020 0.8697. The geranyl chloride used in this example was prepared as follows:

To a solution of 3 l. of dry ethyl ether and l3 kg. of linalool cooled to 0 C., was added with stirring and cooling a solution of 1.8 kg. of phosphorous trichloride in 3 liters of ether over a period of four hours while maintaining the temperature between -5 to +5" C.

The reaction mixture was poured into 15 liters of ice cold water, the oil layer separated and washed with 6 liters of cold water, followed by 6 liters of cold 5% sodium hydroxide solution and then with water again. After drying the solvent was stripped olf and the crude product l v pionitrileas producedrby Example 3.

fractionated under vacuum. A cut boiling at 68 C. at

g 2 mm. Hg; nDZO 1.4790, D1515 0.9254, was used for the reaction with acetonitrile. The infrared spectrum of the geranyl chloride used indicated the presence of about of linalyl isomer.

Example 6 5 GHz-CHgCN in which a double bond is in one of the dotted positions.

It had the following physical constants: boiling point 108 l C. at 5 mm. Hg, nr?" 1.4822.

(Fractions bullied had a range of HD2 1.4792-l.4829.) It is a perfume material having a rooty, woody, vetiver-like odor.

Example 7 360 grams of 85% phosphoric acid and 220 grams of benzene were heated to 65 C. in a ask. 360 grams of the product from Example 2 were added with good stirring over a period of ten minutes, and the mixture was refluxed for one hour. 220 grams of benzene wereadded and the mixture was stirred for one hour without heating. The benzene'layer was separated and washedrneutral. The

l solvent `was stripped off and the residual oil fractionated under vacuum. The distillate weighed 290 grams and had the following physicalconstants: boiling point, 90 C.

' at 1 mm. Hg, HD2 1:4767, D202o 0.9134. The product,

which had a characteristic fruity, woody odor, was shown by GLPC to consist of two major components. These were isolated, and were found from their infrared absorption curves to be the alpha (A) and gamma (B) double-bond isomers,

i CH3 CH3 CH3 CH3 (HS $H3 CHg-t-GN CHT-(ID-CN Y CH3 CH3 CH3 :CH:

(A) (B) (Alpha Cyelogeranyl (Gamma Cyclogerany] Isobutyronitrile) Isobutyronitrile) It is to be noted that a variation in the relative proportions of the various double bond isomers in the above examples will cause a variation in thephysical constants given.v

All temperatures herein used are expressed in Cf In addition to the characteristics of the compounds of the above examples, further characteristics of the compounds are shown in the accompanying drawings, in

which: Y p FIG. lshows an infrared chart for gcranyl isobutyronitrile` as produced byExample 2.

. FIG. 2 shows-an infrared chartA for geranyl acetonitrile as produced byExample 5.

FIG'. 3 shows an infrared chart fortrans-isomer geranyl isobutyronitrile as produced by Example 4.

FIG. ,4 shows an infrared chart for alpha geranyl pro- FIG. 5 shows an infrared chart for cyclogeranyl acetonitrile as produced by Example 6.

FIG. 6 shows an infrared chart for cyclogeranyl isobutyronitrile as produced by Example 7.

FIG. 7 is a GLPC (gas-liquid partition chromatogram) chart of geranyl isobutyronitrile trans-,isomer as produced by Example 4, and

FIG. 8 is a GLPC chart produced by Example 2.

I claim:

1. A composition of matter selected from the group consisting of (a) 5,9-dimethy1-4,S-decadienyl nitrile monosubstituted in the 2 position by a methyl; (b) 5,9- dirnethyl4,S-decadienyl nitrile disubstituted in the 2 po sition by methyl groups; (c) a mixtureof alpha, beta and gamma cyclogeranyl acetonitrile; and (d) a mixture of alpha and gamma cyclogeranyl isobutyronitrile.`

2. Geranyl isobutyronitrile having the formula:

of geranyl isobutyronitrile as 4. A mixture of alpha, beta and gamma cyclo'gerauyl acetonitriles having the formulae:

CH3 CH3 Ca CH3 i Alpha Beta Cil-I3 CH3 Gamma 5. Alpha cyclogeranyl isobutyronitrile having the formula:

CH3 CH3 CH3 6. Gamma cyclogeranyl isobutyronitrile having the forl om ons 7. The trans-isomer of geranyl isobutyronitrilehaving References'Cited` in thelfile of this patent Zeigler:

Rajzmonqchemicai Abstracts, v51. `43 (1949), page Cornforth et al.: Journal of the` Chemical Society (London), page 2540, July 179,59.

Chemical Abstracts, vo1. 26y (1932), page "l 5573.@ t. i V` 

1. A COMPOSITION OF MATTER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF (A) 5,9-DIMETHYL-4,8-DECADIENYL NITRILE MONOSUBSTITUTED IN THE 2 POSITION BY A METHYL; (B) 5,9DIMETHYL-4,8-DECADIENYL NITRILE DISUBSTITUTED IN THE 2 POSITION BY METHYL GROUPS; (C) A MIXTURE OF ALPHA, BETA AND GAMMA CYCLOGERANYL ACETONITRILE; AND (D) A MIXTURE OF ALPHA AND GAMMA CYCLOGERANYL ISOBUTYRONITRILE. 